Video released in FW police shooting that left man paralyzed

The lawyer of a man shot by a Fort Worth police officer says he believes his client was racially profiled.

Dashcam video shows an off-duty officer shooting David Collie on July 27. Collie's lawyer says he released the video to bring attention to what he calls a ‘racially biased arrest’ by Fort Worth police.

The police dash cam video has no audio but shows an off-duty Fort Worth shoot the 33-year-old. Photos show Collie in custody later at the hospital. He survived but is now paralyzed. The video was released through his attorney.

“He exited his vehicle with his gun drawn,” said Collie’s attorney, Nate Washington. “If you have your gun drawn, the chances of using that weapon or using deadly force skyrocket."

The Fort Worth officer was in uniform in a marked police car but was working an off-duty job with a Tarrant County Sheriff's Deputy. They responded to a call about a robbery suspect with a silver pistol who may be nearby.

Police have not commented on the dash cam video but said at the time of the shooting the officer fired because Collie produced a silver object and pointed it at the deputy.

While video shows Collie’s right arm moving forward, it’s not clear if he’s holding anything. Police say they found a box cutter at the scene.

This dash cam video was released days after the viral video in which a white Fort Worth officer arrested a black mother and her two daughters.

"It comes on the heels of the Jacqueline Craig incident, which is a black eye on the city,” said Washington. “But before that happened, Mr. Collie was pressing me to release the video."

Washington says both cases are examples of how some Fort Worth officers perceive a threat.

"There's a culture of racial bias,” he said. “I want to be clear, not a culture of racism — but a culture of racial bias."

Washington says the Tarrant County District Attorney released the dash cam video to him after he couldn't get it from police.

A grand jury chose not to indict Collie on a charge of aggravated assault of a public servant.

“I want to emphasize I believe, my client and his parents believe the vast majority of officers are good people, decent people who deserve our respect and treated fairly,” he said. “They don't deserve to be lumped into a class with the bad officers."

The District Attorney's Office says all officer-involved incidents are reviewed by a grand jury and that case is still pending.

Collie's attorney says he has not filed a lawsuit. And while he doesn't rule it out, it's not what he's focused on right now.